LET'S TALK ABOUT "YOUR" JOBS

Nealz Nuze ^ | Wednesday, February 18, 2004 | Neal Boortz

[beaureguard]

Jobs .. and the economy. Those seem to be the issues that are driving many, if not most, of those who are supporting the Kerry candidacy.

First of all ... I'm going to repeat this simply because it makes the whiners so unbelievably angry. Listen up. They're not your jobs! The jobs belong to the employers .. not to you! You have job skills and, presumably, a willingness to work. Your task in a free economy is to get out there and find some employer with a job who needs your skills ... and strike a deal.

If you do not have the particular set of job skills that an employer needs, of if you have priced your labor out of the marketplace, guess what? It's not the employer's fault. The fault lies with you. Either develop a new set of job skills that are actually in demand, or adjust your pricing. The employer knows what he's looking for you. If you're not it .. it's your problem, not his.

Now ... you say you're going to vote for a Democrat this year because of jobs? You mean to tell me that you're going to vote against George Bush this year because you don't have a set of job skills that are in demand in our free marketplace? Yeah .. that makes a lot of sense, doesn't it?

Tell me. Just what do you want the president to do? You information technology people out there .. just what are you demanding? Do you want companies to stop outsourcing IT jobs to India? OK ... tell me how to do that. These companies aren't shipping parts overseas and completed products back. All they do is ship information overseas by phone lines or the Internet. Then that information is modified and shipped back the same way. What do you want the government .. the president to do? Do you want some federal law that prohibits companies from transmitting information overseas by the Internet, having that information transformed or modified, and then shipped back? And tell me just how do you enforce that law? Does that law then apply to you also if you seek information from a company that is located overseas, thus depriving a domestic company of your business?

Ditto for manufacturing. I've already told you the story about the California company that makes computer mouses. (computer mice?) This company ships the components to China. The mouse is assembled in China and shipped back, then sold for around $40. Why? Because the assembly is cheaper in China than it would be in the US. So, you say you want the president to force this company to have that mouse assembled in the US? Fine .. then the price for the mouse goes up to about $70 a pop and sales drop. As the sales drop the jobs of the people in this country who manufacture the components for that mouse go away. Then the 100 marketing jobs this company supports in California also go away. You see, perhaps you can succeed in forcing this company to assemble these mouses in the US, but there just isn't any way you can force the American consumer to pay 80% more for the "made in America" version.

As Bruce Bartlett says in an article listed in my reading assignments, "No nation has ever gotten rich by forcing its citizens to pay more for domestic goods and services that could have been procured more cheaply abroad."

What we are seeing here is a demonstration of the "government owes me" mentality of far too many Americans. Every time you arrive at a speed bump in your life's journey you start screaming to the government for help. Sure, the speed bump is going to slow you down a bit ... but just keep moving forward and things inevitably pick up speed again. Americans are becoming helpless whiners. The more helpless you are, and the more you whine, the more likely it is you're going to vote for a Democrat. Democrats specialize in stroking the malcontent.

Congratulations, whiners. At a time when America if fighting World War IV, the war against Islamic terrorism ... you're going to vote for a candidate who wants to treat terrorism as a freaking law enforcement problem because you've made some pitiful jobs choices. Pitiful.

[The Mayor]

Your task in a free economy is to get out there and find some employer with a job who needs your skills ... and strike a deal.

Just try doing that in Buffalo! I lost my job nov 3rd, I have applied for, sent out resumes to every construction company in the area. The economy here sucks, plain and simple.
The demonrats and rinos have controlled new york for far to long, and I don't see any of the jobs that hitlery was to bring.
I am tempted to leave yet again to another state just to survive.

You think someone who is unemployed and about to lose his home to foreclosure will become convinced by something like this to vote Republican?

I will vote for Bush only because he is the lessor of two evils.
F'n demonrats will turn us over to the u.n. and both parties are doing their best to turn us into a third world nation.

[smith288]

YEAH! That's right! To h*ll with America! Rack in those profits! (sarcasm)

Are you saying America shouldnt be a capitalist society? Should all company's main purpose be to provide jobs to schleps who demand it from their govt?

[FITZ]

The problem is ---- this government expects those of us still working to support those who no longer are. In this city alone 14,000 people lost their jobs within a few years to NAFTA --- many will never work again --- but guess who pays for their living? The people must pay --- so is it so horrible we'd prefer they be working and pay for themselves?

[The Mayor]

I am in the process of doing the same thing. I want to do that , refinish antiques, build antique reproductions, repair furniture. Are you doing any advertising at all?
I am currently building custom kitchen cabinet doors for a friend.

[FITZ]

The government doesn't seem to believe in promoting jobs for Americans but sure isn't cutting down on social program spending. We're going to be run into the ground as a country between all the growing Socialism and jobs leaving the country. The corporations prove they don't care about this country one iota, except for the consumer base it still gives them --- for now.

[MacDorcha]

who was it that said "the business of America IS business" ? its a phrase many forget

[StatesEnemy]

If the US is a becoming a nation of whining losers, it deserves what it gets.

LOL... meanwhile the gap between the our Corporate masters and the rest of us, continues to grow.

The fact is, outsourcing has nothing to do with the "Free Market" - it is simply an end around that uses the lower living standards of producers in one country (producing goods they could not afford) and pedaling them to a country that has a temporarily higher standard of living.

[MEG33]

You are what makes America great...a small business owner.

[applemac_g4]

This entire article is nothing but a rant. The one valid sentence it contains is the following:

"Either develop a new set of job skills that are actually in demand, or adjust your pricing."

That sentence distills the present problem down to its essence: American workers are unwilling to adjust the price of their labor to third world levels and suffer the hit in standard of living that this would bring about. This, however, is what Bush and the corporations would like to see happen.

And never the twain shall meet. Apparently, responsible capitalism is not a subset of compassionate conservatism.

[FITZ]

It's interesting how the corporations feel they owe Americans nothing --- but yet feel very entitled to the consumer base still left here.

[smith288]

The government doesn't seem to believe in promoting jobs for Americans but sure isn't cutting down on social program spending.

Bull...I agree with you on the social spending but Bush is working hard to give breaks to corporations...the problem lies with the corporations. What is your proposal? Force big companies to hire people by the federal govt threat? How conservative is that?

[Maria S]

"You think this article is helpful? You think someone who is unemployed and about to lose his home to foreclosure will become convinced by something like this to vote Republican?"

This article may or may not be helpful to someone who has suffered the problems you mention. That's not the point. The point is too many people in this country actually believe the president and employers OWE them security, happiness, huge salaries, etc. It's too bad someone has lost his job and is about to lose his home...I would, however, like to know the details about how the whole thing transpired. Was he living beyond his means, like the majority of Americans now? Was he trying to "have it all" right now rather than doing without a few things...and saving (gasp?) a few extra dollars...just in case?

With the exception of a catastrophic illness or accident, I don't think any of us has anyone to blame except ourselves for our financial misfortunes. Just my opinion, which counts for nada.

[FITZ]

It's becoming Capitalism for the very few. What made America strong was that it was Capitalism for the many when it was about having a strong middle class. Everyone could be a Capitalist --- that's why we all believed in it.

[StatesEnemy]

Actually the Corporatistas hate the laws of economics that call for an equilibrium in wages vs profits.

If you have a job that "Americans won't do" it means the wages you are offering are too meager.

[beaureguard]

Good for you. Wish you the best of success.

[crz]

Time for a depression in this country again. A severe depression where everyone gets clobbered.

[cripplecreek]

Most of my advertising is word of mouth. The township here has allowed me to put up a few signs, they just had to be approved. I plan to set up a website in the next few months and do some online advertising.

The real secret seems to be in building a roaster of regular customers. I live in a village of less than 3 hundred people and have nearly every one of them as a customer at some point. I expect to hit a busy stretch with the coming spring. the mowers, tillers, and weedeaters are going to come out of storage soon.

[Cacique]

ping

[MEG33]

What government regulations on business do you think would solve this?What could a President REALLY do?

[MacDorcha]

"The corporations prove they don't care about this country one iota, except for the consumer base it still gives them --- for now."

ya know, you're right. ya know what else? "free market" means that that is possible and permitted. you dont like the way things are going? do it yourself. you can learn to live without Coke and make your own computers. the problem is, America has gotten so lazy in what its needs are that we've forgotten how to take care of ourselves. you buy from the companies that produce overseas, so they keep MAKING things overseas.

also, yes, lots of production jobs are being lost to overseas, but what about marketing? consulting? sales, distribution, resourcing, law enforcenment, HEALTH (i plan on becoming a physical therapist, where one can mae in the upwards of 80k a year.) architecture, design, lumber, training, linguistics (which is GROWING due to jobs going overseas) and etc. when manfactering goes down, these jobs become MORE needed. people need to stop whining and get trained to do another job that is needed. it isnt as if anyonebut site managers get paid much for production anyway. we're a grown up company now. we can live a grown-up life.